No clubs have been lost, but I'm having to manually cut and paste the data from a paragraph format into database fields. (For those given to techie speak, I'm descretizing the information.) As of this AM, I only have 145 to go! So, if your club is not displaying in the new interface, it soon will.

I'm hoping that the other databases won't require so much manual work.

Initially, it'll all be displayed, but eventually we'll be able to allow users to update the information they own. That's step 2, however.

This weekend, the heavy lifting starts and you'll see things starting to change. I hope not to impact the discussion much as I de-couple it. Just pardon our dust on the rest!

Last night (2/3/2012) I was able to roll out the first pieces of the new site organization. If you haven't looked at the non-discussion side, please do. I welcome your thoughts. It is simple, clean and uncluttered (and I can get my hands around it to maintain!).

Some notes regarding this...

- For right now, any content updates should just be emailed to me at bwf@everythingdulcimer.com. I've already had some club updates, which is WONDERFUL!

- Site registration will not be done through the discussion. So, if you want to register, use the register button on the DISCUSSION. If you are already registered, you're all set.

- For those that have content that is tied to their registration (clubs, events, etc) - you WILL eventually be able to maintain your content as before, but this is phase 2. Right now, my focus is in getting all of our lists displaying in easy-to-navigate interfaces. For now, I'll manually update content as I get your emails.

- The next thing I would like to get displaying is our events! I feel a great deal of commitment to supporting our festivals.

- After that, it will be builders, teachers and performers lists (these are in the same place), then articles...then I think I can relax and do some fun things like get a contest going, figure out a good way for us to share pics, etc.

****A special thank you to Heidi James. She contacted me as I was settling in and asked me if I needed any graphics design help. I said "Heck yeah!" because I'm functional at making things work, but I don't have a graphical designer's eye AT ALL! But, she came up with the overall look of the new site, which I think it very nice. I love the logo too...to the point and not over-stated. She did a nice job. Please thank her as you can. This helped me out tremendously!

P.S. Thanks to my bride, Jennifer for manually working her way through the club listings (cutting and pasting them into a new format for better display - 430 or so clubs!). If you'd like to say thanks, here's her FB wall...this is where she hangs out!

I really like the way you have set up the events. The click for more information feature is just perfect. It might help if the list were sorted first by state and then by date, but that might not be all that necessary. I like being able to click on the basic event listing and immediately see the details. Click and again and I'm back in the basic list. Good design... Thanks

Now if the mountain dulcimer folk would remember that that there are two instruments that share the name "dulcimer". If their event/club meeting, jam session, etc is exclusively for mountain dulcimer please say so. I don't wish to travel to an event and find that I and my instrument are not welcome. Please don't make it a research project to determine who is welcome at your event.

In looking and working my way through the events and clubs, I was struck by how uninformative some of these listings were. For instance, I say clubs that had a name for a point of contact, but no email or phone number.

When I roll out a more systematic way for folks to submit, I'm planning on encouraging more information by making the form very intuitive and helpful and providing a quick how-to video.

We are only as good as our information. So, I also have an idea (baking in my little brain) on how to make our club listings mo' betta.

WaterPig Master wrote:Good to see the old sections back in the spotlight!

A request for the clubs: can we have a category for non-US clubs?

Cheers,Barnaby

There are two clubs listed in Canada, but neither of them is currently active as far as I can tell. We may organise an informal circle of MD players in connection with Common Thread Chorus; if so I shall list it!